Alaska's Personnel Board finds that Gov. Sarah Palin did not violate ethics law

[SoCalNative]

Source: CNN (Breaking news banner)

Alaska's Personnel Board finds that Gov. Sarah Palin did not violate ethics law by trying to get her ex-brother-in-law fired.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/

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breaking news banner on CNN

[DS1]

1. Of course she didn't

:eyes:

[PatrynXX]

10. Anybody wanna say their own boss broke ethics law?

[DS1]

18. When they're coming home, after riding an incredible wave of fame

and adulation, only to lose it all in a brutal election smackdown.


Yeah, me either.

[hamsterjill]

32. Why, of course not!

She's Esther after all!!! (Sarcasm, of course).

[barbtries]

2. that explains

why CC's so pissed. i just turned on KUDO
http://www.kudo1080.com/Article.asp?id=881593

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Nothing official on the Anchorage Daily News site yet

[FVZA_Colonel]

4. Isn't this office controlled by the Governor, even if she didn't appoint all the members?

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Here it is.

Findings from the Personnel Board report:

1. There is no probable cause to believe that Governor Palin violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act by making the decision to dismiss Department of Public Safety Commissioner Monegan and offering him instead the position of Director of the Alaska Beverage Control Board.

2. There is no probable cause to believe that Governor Palin violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in any other respect in connection with the employment of Alaska State Trooper Michael Wooten.

3. There is no basis upon which to refer the conduct of Governor Palin to any law enforcement agency in connection with this matter because Governor Palin did not commit the offenses of Interference with Official Proceedings or Official Misconduct.

4. There is no probable cause to believe that any other official of state government violated any substantive provision of the Ethics Act.

5. There is no legal basis or jurisdiction for conducting a “Due Process Hearing to Address Reputational Harm” as requested by former Commissioner Walter Monegan.

6. The Amended Complaint by the PSEA should be dismissed.

7. Independent Counsel recommends that the appropriate agency of State government address the issue of the private use of e-mails for government work and revisit the record retention policies of the Governor’s Office.

These findings differ from those of the Branchflower Report because Independent Counsel has concluded the wrong statute was used as a basis for the conclusions contained in the Branchflower Report, the Branchflower report misconstrued the available evidence and did not consider or obtain all of the material evidence that is required to properly reach findings.


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Dueling lawyers. How ironic that the Republican Branchflower found her guilty of ethics violations and the Democrat Petumenos didn't.

I see a battle looming.

[LynnTheDem]

6. So the first report -with a MAJORITY of REPUBLICANS found her guilty...

and the 2nd one with independents found her not guilty.

We need a tie-breaker. :rofl:

[laconicsax]

9. Aren't AIP members technically 'independent?'

[KewlKat]

7. Didn't she pick the panel?

Aren't these her friends? I hope she remembers that what goes around, comes around. Someday justice will be done. I only hope sooner than later. She'll make a mistake and get caught.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. This report won't help her.

People are so pissed off at her now, they'll see this as a cover-up. From what I understand, the Personnel Board was actually appointed by Sarah's predecessor, Frank Murkowski, but Sarah elected to keep them on.

Public sentiment in favor of Monegan is strong. I don't think this will go over well at all.

[Canuckistanian]

11. Thanks for the reality check

Murkowski wasn't exactly popular, was he?

Bad move for Sarah to keep the existing Personnel Board.

Good for her, terrible PR for Alaskans. Am I right?

[fascisthunter]

22. hahaha..... it figures. She is so corrupt

these people are sociopaths

[underdoggie]

14. Justice delayed is justice denied

#7. "I only hope sooner than later.
She'll make a mistake and get caught"

Justice delayed is justice denied..
sob

[Haole Girl]

12. Yeah, right... whatever. (nt)

[Ian David]

13. You mean the board she appointed. n/t

[Arm Chair Politician]

15. Her appointed, at will employees can keep their jobs now...

Simple. Why release this report the day before the election? These employees are all 'at will' and can be fired at any time, for any reason and the investigation was 'rushed'. The real investigation has already been completed - without Palin's testimony even though she promised to comply. Remember, it was Republican lead and they found her guilty based on all gathered evidence. If Palin didn't testify, well, its her own fault - she had a choice.

Here in Anchorage, Palin's getting torn up on the local am dial over this - no one will believe it anyway, voters don't consider news like this in the final minutes before the election, at minimum, it will be considered biased and political.

[deminks]

16. ADN link here

http://www.adn.com/palin/story/577323.html

New Troopergate report clears Palin

By LISA DEMER | [e-mail]

Published: November 3rd, 2008 03:46 PM
Last Modified: November 3rd, 2008 03:50 PM

A new report just released -- hours before the polls open on Election Day -- exonerates Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy.

The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner, and it contradicts the earlier findings by a special counsel hired by the state Legislature.

[happygoluckytoyou]

17. in a related story--- sarah announces ethics board may keep their jobs !!!!

[uppityperson]

19. This was her hand picked board, right? Gee, what a surprise. nt

[Kalifornia.Kid]

20. Now Alaska has to keep 'er - you betcha she's comin' home Nov 5th.

[fascisthunter]

21. sure she is....

[Career Prole]

23. Who cares? n/t

[Orrex]

24. Yeah, but we still hear how Hillary personally whacked Vince Foster

So I'm sure that the even-handed and fair-minded GOP will be as relentless in its attacks on Palin as it's been in its baseless attacks on Sen. Clinton all these years. :eyes:

[progressivebydesign]

25. This is separate from the other investigation. Don't be fooled.

This is a PERSONNEL BOARD that looked into it from a personnel board angle.. NOT the ethics laws. This is bullshit. I was wondering why they'd release their report TONIGHT. Cuz it was a personnel board SHE appointed.

She is not cleared of the original charges... this is different, from an employer angle.

[BobTheSubgenius]

26. Colour me shocked.

[TygrBright]

27. "Independent Palin-Appointed Committee Clears Palin of Charges" n/t

[superconnected]

28. 2nd time she cleared herself.

Ah well, she should be packing to go back to the meth capital of Alaska. Obama should start writing his inauguration speech.

[Richardo]

29. Alaska issues new ‘troopergate' report, exonerating Palin

Source: KC Star

Palin, after first promising to cooperate, never gave a statement to the special counsel hired by the legislature, but she gave three hours of sworn testimony to Petumenos.

As for the last-minute timing - Petumenos gave out his report hours before the polls opened on Palin's bid to become vice president - the investigator said it wasn't ready until now.

"If you think this is being done to favor the governor politically, it certainly would have been much more favorable for her to receive this days before now," Petumenos said.

He'd hoped to release it Thursday, but it wasn't finished, he said. Personnel Board chair Debra English got her copy at about 4 p.m. Sunday.





Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/445/story/873925.html

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Whew! Cleared by a board over which she has hire/fire authority! That was close...

[philosophie_en_rose]

30. Now they realize that she's coming back...

they don't want to be on the wrong side of her mafia tactics.

[Blue_In_AK]

31. It's going to be a political firestorm here.

Branchflower's report and Petumenos' report are diametrically opposed. Both are respected lawyers, so who knows how it will all shake out.

Here is Celtic Diva's opinion posted late last night which I imagine is pretty much how a lot of people feel at this point.

http://divasblueoasis.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=280

Today...the day before the election...at a Personnel Board meeting which has been set for this date for weeks, Timothy Petumenos did something unreal. It was something that every lawyer that I heard discuss this report said would destroy his credibility in the legal community. He did something that spit in the face of legal precedent. He did something that will probably get him a cushy job in the Palin Administration:
1) He cleared Sarah Palin of ALL ethics violations in not only Troopergate but Andre McLeod's complaint;

2) He cleared ALL of her state-employed cronies;

3) He denied Walt Monegan a hearing and, while he was at it;

4) "These findings differ from those of the Branchflower Report because Independent Counsel has concluded the wrong statute was used as a basis for the conclusions contained in the Branchflower Report, the Branchflower report misconstrued the available evidence and did not consider or obtain all of the material evidence that is required to properly reach findings."

I was floored, depressed, furious but should not be horribly surprised. The McCain Campaign has been acting like they had this in the bag from the beginning. The date of the meeting has always been suspcious. Palin's willingness to be under oath with Petumenos was questionable.

And to top it off...one of the reasons he used to reject the Branchflower Report was because it was "incomplete" because it didn't have testimony from all of the subpeonaed witnesses.

You know, those witnesses who chose to ignore their subpeonas.

I talked to someone who reminded me that I can deal with this AFTER the election...that tomorrow is the most important thing we have to do right now. She was right.